Community Health and Airport Operations-Related Noise and Air Pollution
In 2020, the Washington State Legislature directed Seattle and King County Public Health Departments to produce information pertaining to impacts of Sea-Tac airport operations on the health of those living within a one-mile, a five-mile, and a 10-mile radius of the airport.
Seattle and King County Public Health and the University of Washington completed the assigned tasks. Click here to see the slides of a presentation by Seattle and King County Public Health and the University of Washington.
The airport is a critical habitat for:
Endangered (in WA) Oregon vesper sparrow,
Threatened streaked horned lark, and
Threatened Olympia pocket gopher.
Estimates suggest the airport contains thousands of Olympia pocket gophers. The airport is the largest contiguous designated critical habitat anywhere for the gopher.
The Airport is also one of the critical breeding sites for the streaked horned lark and the endangered Oregon vesper sparrow.
All three species are experiencing significant declines in their populations, primarily caused by habitat loss and degradation. Protecting the Olympia Airport is crucial for their survival.